Saints & Feast Days

Image: Statue of Saint Veronica Giuliani | Mercatello sul Metauro, Marches, Italie | photo by Adri08 Saint of the Day for July 10 (December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727) Saint Veronica Giuliani’s Story Veronica Giuliani’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was bor...

Image: Stained glass window of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and companions | The Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception | photo by hugo poon Saints of the Day for July 9 (d. 1648 – 1930) Saint Augustine Zhao Rong’s and Companions’ Stories Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria...

Image: Saint Gregory Grassi, OFM | Whitworth Digital Commons | Whitworth University Saints of the Day for July 8 (February 13, 1823 – July 9, 1900) Saint Gregory Grassi and Companions’ Story Christian missionaries have often gotten caught in the crossfire of wars against their own countries. When th...

Image: Stained glass window of Saint Maria Goretti | Reinhard Müller Saint of the Day for July 6 (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) Saint Maria Goretti’s Story One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria...

Image: Stained glass window in St. Peter Church | Jaffa | photo by yiftah-s Saints of the Day for July 7 (1804 – 1860) Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions’ Story Not much is known of the early life of Emmanuel Ruiz, but details of his heroic death in defense of the faith have come down to us. Born...

Image: Sculpture of Saint Anthony Zaccaria, at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican | Cesare Aureli Saint of the Day for July 5 (1502 – July 5, 1539) Saint Anthony Zaccaria’s Story At the same time that Martin Luther was attacking abuses in the Church, a reformation within the Church was already being atte...

Image: Elizabeth of Portugal| Francisco de Zurbarán Saint of the Day for July 4 (1271 – July 4, 1336) Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story Elizabeth of Portugal is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was rec...

Image: Saint Thomas | Georges de La Tour Saint of the Day for July 3 (1st Century – December 21, 72) Saint Thomas’ Story Poor Saint Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statem...

Image: Oliver Plunkett | Edward Luttrell Saint of the Day for July 2 (November 1, 1629 – July 1, 1681) Saint Oliver Plunkett’s Story The name of today’s saint is especially familiar to the Irish and the English—and with good reason. The English martyred Oliver Plunkett for defending the faith in his...

A statue of St. Junipero Serra sits among flowers outside San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission in Carmel, Calif. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec) Saint of the Day for July 1 (November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784) Saint Junipero Serra’s Story In 1776, when the American Revolution was beginning in the east,...

Image: Christian heroes and martyrs | William A. Foster | The Library of Congress Saint of the Day for June 30 (d. 64) First Martyrs of the Church of Rome’s Story There were Christians in Rome within a dozen or so years after the death of Jesus, though they were not the converts of the “Apostle of t...

Image: The Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and Paul | Girolamo Figino Saint of the Day for June 29 Saints Peter and Paul’s Story Peter (d. 64?) Saint Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding, and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now...